An exciting front row, redemption drives and Ferrari on the hunt: What to expect in the Monaco Grand Prix
- Meghana Sree
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
The European leg of the season has officially kicked off in the principality of Monaco, the grid returning to a venue steeped in history and glamour.
The all-important qualifying session saw Kimi Antonelli grab pole after a tense shootout, besting legendary winners of Monaco Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton who are set to start right behind him.
Meanwhile, hometown favourite Charles Leclerc tragically clipped the wall on his final push, wasting his shot at pole. Another driver who had a frustrating Saturday was George Russell, finding himself all the way down in sixth with no confidence in the car, while his teenaged teammate continues to get the better of him each weekend.
With storylines buzzing everywhere you turn ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, here are the top five to keep an eye out for when the lights go out.
Antonelli eager to make history again
Antonelli is currently on a legendary purple patch, having converted all of his career poles into wins since his maiden win back in China — the only driver to have done so in the history of the sport.
F1’s latest hotshot has so far been the lead Mercedes as the chequered flag fell for four of the past five rounds, and is all set to take his fifth consecutive victory around the famed streets of Monaco.
But first, the Italian teenager must keep a certain Dutchman off his tail, as well as the rapid Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton and perhaps even Charles Leclerc. Yesterday’s qualifying was undoubtedly a career-best Saturday performance for Antonelli, as he managed to eclipse Verstappen’s electric provisional pole lap by a special four hundredths of a second — indicating that he can deliver under pressure.
His skills will be put to the test as Verstappen is set to chase him closely for 78 tense laps, watching out for even the slightest of mistakes from the Mercedes driver to capitalise on.
Given that he has more to lose than Verstappen, it will be fascinating to see whether Antonelli will take a more conservative approach or if he will still go all out, especially since his championship rival starts down in sixth.
Russell’s shot at redemption
Russell’s fortunes have been the ironic opposite of his teammate’s lately. Ever since Antonelli took control of the championship in Suzuka, Russell has been hindered by both rotten luck and lack of confidence.
An unlucky Safety Car in Japan, lack of pace in Miami and a shock retirement while leading the race in Montreal after a power unit failure has been the story of Russell’s season so far, which peaked at the first round and has been downhill ever since.
Coming to Monaco however, it’s clear that while the car has the potential — evidenced by Antonelli’s efforts — Russell just lacks pace and perhaps even confidence.
A frustrated Russell spoke after qualifying, stating: “My driving style’s just not working with the car at the moment.”
While overtaking opportunities are sparse in Monaco, the Briton will be hoping to at least make up positions with alternate strategies or Safety Car luck to recover lost confidence and momentum while his teammate continues to soar to new heights.
Old rivalries revived
Last time out in Montreal gave us some showstopping racing action, with one of the highlights being Verstappen and Hamilton’s fight for second during the final stages of the Grand Prix.
If Antonelli manages to cruise off into the distance, we can expect the two seasoned rivals to go head-to-head once more — with everything from strategy to braking sure to have a pivotal role in determining success.
While Verstappen and Red Bull’s Saturday performance was unexpected after their tricky Friday sessions, Hamilton has been on the pace ever since the weekend began. Consistently at the top in practice sessions and finally confident in the car after a rough start to his time with Ferrari, the seven-time world champion will be eager to climb back up to the top after a confusingly weak qualifying session.
Charles Leclerc’s Hail Mary drive
It seems Leclerc’s Monaco curse hasn’t completely loosened its grip upon the home hero, as a tragic brush of the barriers threw his pole efforts out the window on Saturday, forcing him to start fourth.
Leclerc has always been magic around his home streets, with his mentality being ‘all or nothing’, but often to his discredit as was the case yesterday. The Ferraris have been rapid at the starts, which Leclerc will hope to use to his advantage and throw his hat in the ring for podium contention.
If not making up positions at the start, Leclerc will be banking on strategy offsets or Safety Car interventions to aid his effort to taste champagne on home soil once more.
Carlos Sainz hoping to maintain a career-long streak
When we think of consistency around Monaco, the greats immediately come to mind — Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill, Hamilton, and the list goes on.
But one driver that has quietly been proving his consistency in Monte Carlo is Carlos Sainz, who has earned points every single time he’s entered the Monaco Grand Prix ever since his first race here in 2015.
Starting 12th for this year’s race, the Williams driver will be eager to keep that streak alive as he’ll be on the lookout to make up positions.
The Spaniard has finished in the points for the past two rounds, and will hope to bag a third consecutive points-finish in Monaco. With Monaco being highly prone to Safety Cars, walls out to punish drivers for the most marginal of errors, Sainz will be on the look out to capitalise on any chaos ahead.
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